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ACC Morning Five: 02.08.12 EditionPosted by mpatton on February 8th, 2012
- Tallahassee Democrat: Ira Schoffel hits a home run with this profile on Leonard Hamilton. It's lengthy, but totally worth the time it takes to read. It's really unfortunate that it will be buried by Duke – North Carolina previews today. Schoffel spent time with many of Hamilton's friends and family from his days in Gastonia, North Carolina. He may not look it, but Hamilton is the second oldest coach behind Mike Krzyzewski in the ACC. The FSU head coach has had a really inspirational journey from Gastonia to Tallahassee. Even above and beyond the high school story, Hamilton's coaching resume is very impressive too. Before the year I said Bernard James might have the best story in college basketball, but I might have been wrong. His coach may have him beat.
- Raleigh News & Observer: Lame title aside, this is a terrific piece on Austin Rivers from Jack Daly. Rivers went from being a walking cliche — the talented but selfish son of an NBA coach — when he arrived at Duke to something far more compelling once he took the court. Sure, he's made mistakes. But he's also Duke's best offensive weapon. His critics jumped on his early season struggles and have tended to alter the criticisms instead of the narrative as his game improves. It's clear he has a chip on his shoulder, but I haven't heard that chip really expressed openly until this piece. He talks about trying to succeed in the shadow of Doc Rivers and the wealth of expectations and dearth of praise (at least at the college level) for his achievements. Daly finishes the piece with a perfect quote from Rivers:
People always ask what makes me hungry now: I haven't done anything yet. I haven't done anything yet. I had a great high school career, I was No. 1 – I don't care. No one cares about that anymore. At Duke, I haven't won a national championship, I haven't won an ACC Tournament, I don't play in the NBA. I haven't done anything. I have everything that can motivate me.
- CBSSports.com: Continuing the Duke – North Carolina rivalry trope, Brett Friedlander sat down with several former and current Tar Heels to talk about why they chose the school in Chapel Hill over the one eight miles south in Durham. Former Tar Heel big man Eric Montross seems to hit the nail on the head, calling the decision a "gut feeling" of one school over the other. Whether it's North Carolina's adjacent museum, the banners, or meeting Michael Jordan — Tar Heel players walk away from visits just knowing… On the flip side I suspect many players who choose Duke feel the same about Cameron Indoor and its many banners overhead as well. The atmospheres are undeniably different, but the two team's histories share an excellence.
- Chicago Tribune: Miami is quietly building an NCAA Tournament resume now that Reggie Johnson is back in the line-up. The Hurricanes have won five of their last six games and four straight including the overtime win at Duke. That said, the "surprise" part of Miami's bid foundation (for me) is that it's taken this long to take hold. Certainly Johnson's injury didn't do Jim Larranaga any favors, but if you asked me which new coach was doing the worst job at the start of conference season, I wouldn't have hesitated calling out the former George Mason coach. Miami still has a lot of work to do. I think it splits with Florida State and avenges a home loss to NC State. If the Hurricanes take care of that business, they'll have 11 conference wins with the disclaimer that the ugly first half of the season was without Johnson (really 10 wins and a solid performance in the ACC Tournament could do the trick, but better safe than sorry).
- Fayetteville Observer: In honor of Duke and North Carolina, Stephen Schramm sat down with @thedevilwolf, one of the best trollers in the business. If you follow ACC basketball much on Twitter, you probably know his handle (but not his name). In addition to timely trolling, he's also good for insightful comments during games and over on Duke Hoop Blog. Schramm also mentioned another mysterious Tobacco Road Twitter celebrity, @TarHeelWire, who disappeared suddenly after nearly two years of constant tweeting on North Carolina athletics when more and more people sought the identity of the man behind the handle.
EXTRA: Troy Machir over at Ballin' Is A Habit put out his 2011-12 All-Hair-Team, and the list starts with Mike Scott and his many cornrow designs. No other ACC players make the cut (though Miles Plumlee's high and tight makes a defensive cameo).


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La Malinche National Park is located in Central 墨西哥 in both the state of Puebla and Tlaxcala. La Malinche, Matlalcueitl volcano, is part of the Tran-墨西哥 Volcanic Belt is in the park and popular
with climbers and mountaineers. You will find cabins, camping and recreational facilities on the volcano.
(照片通过: WikiCommons)

subset: commoncrawl


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Eaton, New Hampshire
|This article is a stub. Help us to expand it by contributing your knowledge. For county and town page guidelines, visit U.S. County Page Content Suggestions.
Eaton is a town in Carroll county, New Hampshire. It was formed in 1766. Its parent county/ies is/are Strafford. For more information, contact the county at P.O. Box 118, Eaton Center 03832. On the attached map, Eaton is shown as 11 in Carroll.
For information about the state of New Hampshire see New Hampshire Family History Research.


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WASHINGTON – General Motors CEO Mary Barra didn't squirm on the hot seat Tuesday. On the job less than three months, she calmly answered or deflected tough questions from a congressional committee about faulty parts responsible for at least 13 deaths and the recall of 2.6 million cars.
Barra frustrated lawmakers by fending off questions, saying she was awaiting the results of an internal GM investigation. She didn't know why GM waited more than a decade to recall cars it knew had defective ignition switches. She didn't know who was responsible for the decisions that delayed the recall.
But experts on corporate damage control said she didn't have much choice and gave her high marks for her performance on the hot seat.
"Barra's rope-a-dope is the best of GM's bad options today," said Washington crisis management consultant Eric Dezenhall. "There isn't a corporate lawyer in the country that's going to allow her to engage in freelance speculation about things she doesn't know yet. No, that's not satisfying to the public and media, but the alternative is much worse."
Investors shrugged. General Motors Co. stock, down more than 7 per cent since March 11, barely budged Tuesday, slipping 8 cents to $34.34.
Barra apologized for GM's slowness in warning customers about the problems and promised to change the automaker's culture to put a new emphasis on safety. "Barra held her ground, claiming that today's General Motors is a different company from the one whose corporate culture allowed this issue to fester for a decade," said Jack Nerad, executive editorial director Kelley Blue Book.
Ken and Jayne Rimer, whose daughter died in a 2006 accident after a faulty switch prevented airbags from deploying, found Barra's testimony incomplete. For Barra "not to have any answers" after about three months as CEO was unsatisfactory, Ken Rimer said in the hallway outside the hearing room. "It surprised me how unprofessional that was," he said.
Congressional appearances can be a minefield for CEOs. In 2008, automaker CEOS drew public scorn for flying corporate jets to Washington to ask for a government bailout. And Wall Street CEOs were battered in hearings after the financial crisis.
But some lawmakers appeared somewhat more sympathetic to Barra, who was thrust into a crisis after becoming the first woman CEO of a major automaker in January. In 33 years at GM, Barra worked in engineering, communications and human resources. She's a second-generation GM employee: Her father was a GM die maker for four decades.
Not everything went smoothly for the new CEO Tuesday, who flew commercial to the hearing. Barra struggled to explain how GM could continue to use parts that didn't meet its own specifications. When she tried to draw a distinction between parts that didn't meet specs and those that were defective and dangerous, Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, said: "What you just answered is gobbledygook."
Dan Hill, president of a Washington firm that advises clients on public relations and crisis management, said Barra erred by contrasting today's safety-conscious GM with the belt-tightening GM that sought bankruptcy protection in 2009. "Barra threw the old GM under the bus by saying that the previous company that she grew up in and held executive positions in was based on a 'cost culture' as opposed to a 'customer first' culture," Hill said, noting that the implicit criticism of her predecessors could be used as ammunition in lawsuits against GM.
But some corporate image experts praised Barra for seizing the initiative by announcing that GM has hired Kenneth Feinberg — who handled the fund for the victims of 9-11, the Boston Marathon bombing and the BP oil spill — to explore ways to compensate victims of accidents in the GM cars. Barra didn't commit GM to setting up such a fund.
"She didn't make mistakes," says Gene Grabowski, a crisis management consultant who helps executives prepare for congressional testimony. "That's how you survive a hearing."
Durbin reported from Detroit. AP Business Writer Marcy Gordon in Washington contributed to this story.


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Exercise Science
Associate of Science
The Laramie County Community College Exercise Science program is concerned with the many aspects of human movement and its application to physical activity and the quality of one's life. This program is suggested for students who are interested in a career in exercise science, sports medicine, physical therapy, athletic training, physical education teacher education (PETE), occupational therapy or related fields. Students complete coursework that provides a solid knowledge base of human anatomy, physiology, chemistry, and health. Two program tracks are available depending on the student's interest and career goals. All students must complete the general education core and complete either the Exercise Science track or the Physical Education Teaching (PETE) track. Students are urged to study carefully the specific requirements of the institutions to which they plan to transfer. Based on student transfer needs, course substitutions are possible; however, the degree requirements must be met. Please see an Exercise Science advisor for a suggested program schedule.
The Exercise Science track leads to an associate of science degree and is designed to provide students quality academic and professional preparation in the scientific study of human movement. The program offers a sound theoretical foundation and practical applications. While students must receive a bachelor's degree, many of these fields also require a master's degree or beyond.
- Identify the structures and functions of the human body.
- Demonstrate the relationships among physical activity, health and nutrition.
- Identify methods to maintain health through injury prevention and rehabilitation.
- Identify ways to maintain health throughout the human lifespan.
- Demonstrate, teach and evaluate physical activity skills.
- Demonstrate the basic principles and benefits of lifetime fitness. (adopted Aug. 1, 2012)
Transfer Agreements with Four-Year Institutions: Program Articulation
LCCC has partnered with four-year institutions to articulate a way for students to transfer earned credits. These articulations are formal agreements between LCCC and the institution. These agreements match up coursework to make the transfer process smooth and to eliminate any duplication of courses. Any deviations from the prescribed course list will not articulate.
- Colorado Mesa University - Signed Agreement
- Exercise Science: University of Wyoming - Signed Agreement
- Physical Education Teacher Education: University of Wyoming - Signed Agreement
Related Degree
- Exercise Science: Physical Education Teacher Education Concentration
- Exercise Science: Sport Management Concentration
- Exercise Science: Personal Trainer Credit Diploma
- Exercise Science: Coaching Credit Diploma
Program Facilities
For a map and specific hours these facilities are open for personal use, see the PE Recreation and Fitness web page.
- Aerobic center featuring a state-of-the-art oak dance floor.
- Climbing wall for bringing the outdoors inside.
- Gym with a full regulation court and two half-courts. The two half-courts use retractable baskets.
- Multipurpose room with four indoor tennis and volleyball courts.
- 25-meter swimming pool with 6 lap lanes and a diving board.
- Oak-floored racquetball courts.
- Free weight room featuring HardKore floor machines, Hammer Jammer, and free-weight areas.
Cost of Attendance
For general college expense, view LCCC's tuition and fees. Student in the Exercise Science concentration have additional estimated course fees expense of $105. *This is an estimate and may change at any time. This estimate may vary due to the variety of online, hybrid and face to face offerings available. Course fees may be higher for one modality when compared to another.


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Waukesha police focus on Internet crimes against children
The Waukesha Police Department is shifting resources to a crime that goes on in secret against the most vulnerable victims.
WISN 12 News reporter Nick Bohr gained exclusive access to the Police Department's new ramped-up efforts to target people trading in child pornography.
Computers and data files are increasingly becoming weapons in crime-fighting.
VIDEO: Waukesha police shift resources to target people trading in child porn
"What we're seeing more and more is that a lot of laws are being broken and crimes are being committed by using the Internet," Waukesha police Sgt. Jerry Habanek said.
Habanek said much of it is child pornography.
Ryan Hermanson, 26, was arrested and charged last week with possession of child pornography. He was the 19th arrest related to child pornography in the city of Waukesha this year, which is double from last year.
The arrests catch the suspects off-guard because Waukesha police always use their SWAT team to serve the search warrants.
"We chose to make this a priority," Habanek said.
Waukesha police have work stations in their computer forensics lab and a $70,000 server to deal with the increased investigations. It's a visible sign of the priority that Waukesha police are placing on investigating Internet crimes against children.
They are finding a lot of it by using high-tech tools to identify people viewing and distributing the images.
"Are they usually pretty shocked that you guys are aware of this?" Bohr asked.
"These people are generally living a lie. These people are people you see every day. We've had people from all walks of life, from all different socioeconomic statuses," Habanek said.
The sergeant said he believes the investigations are stopping the suspects from escalating their behavior to preying on children here.
Waukesha police also remind parents to warn their kids about strangers online.
Police said with a lot of new electronics entering the home, it's a good time to review parental controls and Internet security settings.


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I decided to make Appelmoes also known as Dutch Apple Sauce. I've been wanting to make apple sauce (and baked apples) all season and I loved the spices that are added. I also picked this because my nieces and nephew love apple sauce and eat it as a snack all the time. I thought that they might like to try a homemade version and since I'll be seeing them tomorrow it was a perfect fit. This recipe couldn't have been easier and yet it is still full of flavor. You can eat it as is or use it as an accompaniment to pork or something I love...Pierogies (Steve thinks that is so weird)! I didn't make many changes to the recipe at all. I just left out the cardamom because I couldn't find a small container and I didn't want to buy a big bottle for $7 that I may not use again. I don't think that mattered too much. I also reduced the amount of some of the spices because I wanted to make sure the kids would eat it and it wouldn't be too strong on their delicate palettes. I will post the recipe with my changes but you can view the original recipe (and check out all the other fantastic recipes) by clicking here.
Spiced Applesauce
4 cortland apples
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 whole cloves
- Very simply, peel and chop the apples, place in the saucepan with the sugar and spices and only about 1/2 cup of water.
- Bring to the boil and then cover, turn down to a low heat and cook, covered, for thirty minutes.
- The apples should now be soft so bring up the heat and stir until it thickens into a good, proper sauce. (I used a potato masher so the sauce wouldn't be too chunky for the kiddies.)


text: Losar – Tibetan New Year By suman On March 11, 2019 No Comments About The Author suman More about this author Author 76 Posts Hi, Suman this side a housewife and a part time blogger, who love to sharing helpful information with others. I write on different topics time to time and hope it will help you. If yes then, please let me know via your comments and sharing the post you found worthful, Wish you a good day. No comments yet Facebook Comments Add Your Comment Cancel reply


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$825 Billion Socialist Agenda Passes Congress
The House of Representatives passed the Socialist Agenda (aka economic stimulus bill) this evening. No Republicans voted for this pork-laden 649 page Socialist agenda. Additionally, the following Democrats who voted against the bill: Allen Boyd (Fla.), Bobby Bright (Ala.), Jim Cooper (Tenn.), Brad Ellsworth (Ind.), Parker Griffith (Ala.), Paul Kanjorski (Penn.), Frank Kratovil (Md.), Walt Minnick (Idaho), Collin Peterson (Minn.), Heath Shuler (N.C.), Gene Taylor (Miss.). Source: Real Clear Politics
Time to start calling your senators to insist they kill this bill. Don't take my word that this bill is a nation-killing disaster – read for yourself HERE.
January 28, 2009 Posted by rtaylor83305 | economy, Politics | economy, socialism, stimulus | Leave a comment
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Moderator: MudBug
bushmeister wrote:I've always heard "You can shoot a 38 special out of a 357 magnum" statements, and have even done it a few hundred times after witnessing others do it safely first. Now there are guns such as the 460 s&w that state you can shoot a 454 or even a 45lc out of it. It's obvious how they would chamber and fire, but I wonder... what keeps the bullet on these shorter rounds from tilting in the unoccupied chamber, and potentially jamming before reaching the barrel? Is it a case of "close enough"? It just seems to me there would be potential for this or that at least acurracy or performance would have to suffer.
Gilbert wrote:The same person who would buy this is the same person who would buy a gold-plated .50 caliber Desert Eagle. Pure novelty.
it looks like two colt 1911s taped together...
A short study of ballistics will show that two large subsonic .45 bullets coming out of their barrels so close together will affect eachother in flight so you'll end up with less accuracy than a standard single barrel .45.
That would be in addition to the huge weight and recoil.
this is just a movie prop surely?
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jlv wrote:ShackAttack12 wrote:You see, the terrain is so fricken smooth in MXS that track creators then have to compensate with unrealistic friction to allow the bike to lean over. If we had realistic ruts (and MXS physics allowed the bike to stick in the rut), we wouldn't need unrealistic friction numbers, and you'd have to pick your lines better. What a concept!
I'm not so sure about that. Tiny ruts are extremely difficult even in real life where you can feel them. A lot of the reason to use high friction is to let you save it when you over/undershoot a rut.
Slippery is just harder in general. More realistic but more frustrating.
I totally understand the strategy of using higher friction to make things easier. However, I feel like the community is slowly squeezing realism out of this game (Suspension,etc), and has completely removed the traction element from the racing experience. I'd be fine with friction that was slightly higher than real life (maybe 0.9 or so), but >1.1 friction is just ludicrous to me. It's like riding on super smooth asphalt tracks.
A good part of motocross is throttle control, and in some cases you may want a lot of tire spin, but it really depends on the terrain. If you're riding on a hard packed track, you can't just hold the throttle pinned everywhere or else you'll be flat on your ass!
In real life, front end traction is constantly on my mind when riding, especially in flat corners and especially on dry days. In fact, i'm probably about 75% more worried about the front end than the back end in terms of traction. With realistic friction settings in MXS, i find myself doing the exact same thing, and even change my lines in order to find a rut or use a berm instead or round out the turn and flat track it.


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Technologies used to reproduce, decipher, analyse, interpret, archive cultural remains of Ancient Mesopotamia
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Modulates the beam of a laser weapon into the microwave frequencies. Improved range. Increased EM damage.
The delicate crystalline structures used in the manufacture of this advanced crystal degrade with use, eventually causing it to shatter.
40% increased optimal range.
25% reduced capacitor need.
Structure Hitpoints
Em Damage
Thermal Damage
Range Bonus
Charge Size
Used With (Launcher Group)
Capacitor Need Bonus
Tech Level
Volatility Damage
Crystals Take Damage
Explosive Damage
Kinetic Damage
Main Color
Fly Range Multiplier
Meta Group Id


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I was sent some Champion gear for a review recently and imagine my excited face when I got not one pair of booty shorts but TWO! Super excited! I also got a few tanks and this nice long sleeve tee in lilac. It has some cool designs on the sleeves which I liked, but I do think the color is a little blah for me. I'm all about bright colors! I really liked the fabric of the shirt and appreciated that it was seamless as well. One thing that I did notice was the fact that at the v-neck, where the two parts of the shirt came together there was a small nub. I didn't know if this would bother me during my run but only a mile and half in I knew it was going to mess up my skin a bit. It started to chafe a small amount by the end of the run. I really liked the fabric and fit of the shirt though. That was a definite selling point. I liked how long the sleeves were and also the overall length of the shirt as well. The seams on the underarms didn't bother me either, which was great. I wore it when it was 55 degrees out and I wasn't too warm or too cold in it at all and it seemed to have some stretch and bounce in it as well. Win! I am wearing a large though, which makes me wonder about Champion's sizing. I also know that I am one to not wear incredibly tight workout clothes, minus the spandex on the lower section of my body, so personally, I would error on the side of caution and get a size larger than necessary in the shirts.
I liked the back of the shirt because of the breath-ability and how it was designed. I also like the little design at the top. The shirt stayed down which is good enough in my book!
One of the aspects that I really liked about the shirt was the fact that it had small designs down the arm of the shirt. Sometimes running clothes are so boring and I love it when they put a little effort into them to make them a little girly.
Then I reviewed the first of the two pairs of booty shorts. Now, for me, these are a little bit too long. I really don't like them hitting that area of my leg and we all know I like BOOTY shorts! So these actually were made of a GREAT fabric and I did like them, if they were just an inch shorter! I liked how they were seamless and they were a good mix of spandex and fabric. They didn't ride up at all during my run and seemed to fit really well. Again I got the large, but after a little while I could tell that they were a little bit big on me. I had the saggy poopy butt look going on. These are the 5 inch inseam and they can be found here. I do love them, but wish they were a tad shorter. :)
I really liked the aspect that they were seamless and that they didn't rub in weird spots at all. They were really supportive and soft and the wide waist band was super comfortable and didn't dig into my waist at all. They weren't incredibly spandexed to my body which also allowed for a little extra breathing room. The size I tested in these was also a large. They were longer and I know some of you were looking for a longer inseam and I would totally recommend these!
Lastly, I tested another pair of booty shorts and these were my faves! They have a small design on the side and were very soft and the fabric is super moisture wicking. I also liked how they were seamless and I liked the inseam length on these as well.
Another aspect that is clutch when checking and trying on pairs of booty shorts is that they will STAY DOWN. You don't need them riding up and giving everyone a free show! These ones stayed down very well and I really liked that aspect of them too. They are not only made with spandex which helps them stay down better.
I would totally check out the stuff that Champion has to offer. I really like what they sent me and I also think their stuff is well made and very well priced for a runner's budget. It's hard to find things that are well made and can stand being washed so much without paying an arm and leg.


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How to Do Smoky Cat Eye Makeup Like Amanda Seyfried
How to Update Your Smoky Eye With an Exaggerated Cat Eye
From the runways to the red carpet, exaggerated winged eye makeup has risen as the makeup look of the moment. And last night the trend made an appearance at the Les Misérables premiere in New York, thanks to Amanda Seyfried. She paired her embellished Alexander McQueen gown with an equally overstated eye look. Try this geometric shadow to elongate and lift the eye without appearing too weighed down.
The first step to mimicking this eye makeup is to draw a winged outline with an eye pencil. Draw a line from the middle of the lower lashes through the outer corner of the eye and upwards to meet the orbital bone. Draw another line from the midway of the top lash line and connect it with the other line coming from your lower lash line. Fill in the shape and clean up smudges using a cotton tip saturated with makeup remover.
To intensify and set the colour, go back over it with dark eyeshadow. Finally, highlight with a golden shade. Apply underneath the eyes, in the inner corners, and up to the crease on the innermost lid. Complement this high-flying eye makeup with subtle cheeks and lips. Amanda's slicked-back braid puts her eyes in the spotlight where they belong.


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Geocortex Essentials Transform how you design, develop and maintain ArcGIS web mapping applicationsTake advantage of our unrivalled stable of off-the-shelf capabilities and viewer options, intelligent platform engineering that offers the ability to customize without compromising the future, and an amazing flow of great new additions thanks to our sustainable research & development program. Essentials OverviewGeocortex Essentials is an unrivalled way to enable your investment in ArcGIS Server and ArcGIS Online web mapping technology, but let's talk dollars. After all, Geocortex Essentials is a licensed software product. We're convinced that our approach represents the least expensive way to meet the requirements of the typical ongoing web mapping initiative. And we're confident you'll be convinced of this too (we can back up our claim). The economics of all this is made possible by a proven, product-centric business model that amortizes the cost of addressing common requirements across hundreds of organizations. With Geocortex Essentials you leverage a massive body of work for pennies on the dollar, all created by our experienced team of professional web mapping product developers. Year after year. Off-the-shelf, pre-built GISWith Geocortex Essentials, you gain a significant head-start by taking advantage of pre-built functionality that almost every organization can use. A paper napkin no longer needs to be the starting point to launch your next great GIS project. Enlarge Framework-based designSoftware that is flexible enough to meet a variety of needs means that both GIS administrators and developers must have the inner workings of applications accessible to them. Geocortex Essentials elegantly accommodates this through an integrated framework of components. A hodge-podge of tools and utilities that don't cohesively work together is a step backwards. View the Geocortex Essentials framework. ConfigurableDon't code, configure. We recognize every organization is different. We provide the ability for GIS administrators to configure much of Geocortex to your specific needs without having to rely on precious program resources. Our visual administration tools provide flexibility through a wide array of options. Powerful SDK — If and when you need itIn some situations, there are specific aspects of your application that you may want to tailor that go beyond the scope of our configuration tools. You can extend Geocortex further by using our comprehensive client-side object model and development framework, command and event registration capabilities, and server-side REST API. Programmers are significantly more productive by taking advantage of the Geocortex SDK. Certified for Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 Geocortex Essentials has earned Microsoft Windows 2012 R2 certification. This demonstrates that the application has met Microsoft's highest standards for stability, security, reliability, availability, Windows fundamentals, and platform compatibility. In addition, through this certification, the Hyper-V designation demonstrates that Geocortex has passed Microsoft's mission-critical standards for a virtualized environment. Spatial Application Infrastructure (SAI)Geocortex Essentials is architected to offer organizations maximum flexibility by enabling the implementation of a spatial application infrastructure for web-GIS and mapping. SAI provides organizations with the ability to speed up development and reduces costs while increasing GIS/IT efficacy. As technology evolves, SAI also helps future-proof applications, protecting these valuable investments from technological redundancy. Purposeful applications, a more innovative and more efficient approach to the implementation of web-GIS, are also made possible through SAI adoption.


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The Finance Department is responsible for managing the financial operations of the City in accordance with the state law, the City Charter, applicable ordinances and policies of the governing body, reporting directly to the City Manager.
Functional responsibilities include accounting, financial reporting, cash management, budgeting, debt management and investments. The accounting function includes accounts receivable, accounts payable, capital assets and general accounting. The responsibility for financial reporting includes preparing monthly interim financial statements as well as the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report(CAFR) in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.
Applicable portions of the CAFR are audited by a firm of independent certified public accountants. The CAFR is also submitted to the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) each year under its Certificate of Achievement of Excellence in Financial Reporting. The City has received this award for over ten years.
At midyear and year-end, a narrative review of operations is prepared which critiques the actual results of operations - particularly as compared to the appropriated budget. The cash management program assures that an adequate level of liquidity is maintained to pay employees and vendors as well as meet other financial responsibilities of the City's Investment Policy, prioritizing the objectives of safety, liquidity and yield- in that order.
The responsibility for budgeting includes managing the budgeting process under the direction of the City Manager, preparing the Official Budget Document, and monitoring actual results for compliance with budget limitations. The Official Budget Document is also submitted each year to GFOA under its Distinguished Budget Presentation Award. The City has received this award for over ten years, during the most recent of which it was awarded outstanding designation in 2 out of 4 categories. Debt management responsibilities include assisting and advising the City Manager on matters related to bond issues and bond rating
1300 Houston Avenue
City Hall - 1st Floor
McAllen, TX 78501
Phone : [956] 681-1060


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"The best way out is always through." Robert Frost
But O'Farrell says, oh well, if you can't go through you can always go around! 🙂 I've read one novel by this author, now I want to read more. There were things in her life that she would clearly have gone around, but had to go through and now they have been revealed.
What a unique memoir. It is so astonishing, so elegant and beautifully described, and yet so terrible all at once. Somehow she makes these seventeen stories chilling and eloquent at the same time. In the audio version, Daisy Donovan captures and conveys the vulnerability and strength of the author. O'Farrell knows how to tell a story and Donovan knows how to read it. I hesitate giving this five stars, only because some of it may be triggering for those who have experienced similar trauma. People will need to talk about this after reading it, so it's perfect for book clubs.
We are never closer to life than when we brush up against the possibility of death. There was the childhood illness that left her bedridden for a year, from which she was not expected to survive. A teenage yearning to escape that nearly ended in disaster. An encounter with a disturbed man on a remote path. Her heartbreaking struggle with fertility and miscarriage. Scary near accidents. And, most terrifying of all, an ongoing, daily struggle to protect her daughter — for whom this book was written — from a condition that leaves her unimaginably vulnerable to life's myriad dangers. Seventeen discrete encounters with Maggie at different ages, in different locations, reveal a whole life in a series of tense, visceral snapshots. The message is simple. Life is precious.
Here's an excellent review in the Guardian: "I've revealed the secrets I've spent my life hiding."


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Fancy Country Comfort at Great Maple
Hillcrest eatery offers familiar fare with an occasional twist... and donuts.
I liked Brian's American Eatery, it was one of my go-to breakfast spots back when I lived within walking distance. The menu and portions were absurdly gigantic, but the service was consistently friendly and there were plenty of a la carte options for those of us who didn't feel like starting the day with two of everything. So of course, I was sad to see it go -- especially when rumors floated that the reason behind its demise had to do with love lost.
But now, months later, I'm reminded that an equally comforting neighborhood joint has blossomed in its place. The first time I went to Great Maple (a duplicate of the original in Newport Beach), it was to have lunch with a friend and fellow foodie.
We began things off right, with a couple of cocktails. I ordered the Honey Mule, with honey vodka, muddled mint, and ginger beer, served in an adorable honey bear glass.
My friend was interested in ordering a bunch of small plates to share, but I was all about one menu item that my eyes kept drifting back to: the Pretzel Bratwurst, with grilled onions and sauerkraut on a pretzel bun, served with honey mustard and the aptly named "Oh Yes Smashed Potatoes."
It was every bit as delicious as I imagined it would be, and I was mildly irritated when my friend took me up on my offer to split it. In the end, I'm happy I shared, because had I not, I wouldn't have had room to taste from the sampling she ordered.
First there was the creamy polenta with pancetta and shaved pecorino -- I was only able to manage one bite of this. Though tasty, it's richer than a Saudi Arabian sheik.
The mini meatballs were flavorful enough, but a bit confusing -- I didn't realize that was "fried pasta" on the plate beside the bowl of meatballs in roasted tomato sauce. The "pasta" was closer to Chinese food than it was to Italian -- it looked and tasted like crispy deep-fried dumplings.
I loved the mini beef wellingtons, served with a barbecue glaze dip. They were cooked to medium, tender and flavorful, and the dough was perfect.
The special dessert of the day was too tempting to pass up. It's a bummer it's not a regular item on the menu. I can't even remember the specifics, it was some kind of chocolate (but not too rich), melty-brownie pie with caramel ice cream. It was just stupid good, and I don't usually go in for desserts.
My first visit had left such a great impression, that it wasn't long before I dragged David back with me for dinner. Together, we enjoyed the spicy grilled prawns (served with those flavorful mashed potatoes) and the local farmer's beet salad (with pistachio crusted goat cheese, arugula, and champagne shallot vinaigrette).
This time I paired my meal with a darker cocktail, the Raspberry Old Fashioned, with Buffalo Trace bourbon, "suger-fired oranges," muddles raspberries, and orange bitters. It was well-rounded, not too sweet or sour, and just the right amount of boozy bourbon flavor.
Just when we were wrapping up, we were treated to a spectacle with which most Great Maple regulars are familiar -- the sudden giving away of treats. This time, the treats carried around by servers on long wooden boards were an excellent complement to an enjoyable meal: bacon-maple donuts. David and I split one of the savory-sweet treats, and went home happy.
More like this:
- Davanti Enoteca, a sweet spot in Little Italy — Aug. 15, 2013
- Barrio Logan: Eat your fruit! — Aug. 8, 2013
- Worldly birds at Finch's Bistro in La Jolla — May 28, 2013
- Sips and snaps at Lion's Share — April 22, 2013
- More Bang for Your Buck on International Restaurant Row — March 13, 2013
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- Home
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Kansas Seeking Hunters for Special Deer Hunt
The Riley County Fish and Game Association, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP), and Tuttle Creek Lake Corps of Engineers are seeking participants for their 8th annual youth/handicapped deer hunt, which will be held Sept. 11 and 12. Youth ages 11 through 16 and anyone with a certified disability are eligible to participate in this hunt. Participants need a deer permit, and if required by Kansas law, a Kansas hunting license and an approved hunter education course.
For those in need, scholarship assistance to purchase a hunting license and deer permit can be provided by the sponsoring agencies and associations. If participants do not have a rifle or ammunition for the hunt, these items will be provided. Each participant will be paired with an experienced hunter who will serve as guide. Arrangements have been made with area lockers where basic processing of harvested deer will be handled free of charge.
Other items provided for this hunt include accessible hunting blinds, hunting locations, hunter orange hats and vests, and transportation to the field. All participants will be required to attend a firearm safety presentation and sight-in at the Fancy Creek Range on Sunday, Aug. 22.
Other groups and organizations contributing to this hunt include the Friends of Fancy Creek Range, Kansas City Chapter of Safari Club International, and Tuttle Creek Lake Association.
For more information or an application, phone Steve Prockish at the Tuttle Creek Lake Corps of Engineers office, 785-539-8511, ext. 3167, or email [email protected]. Applications will be accepted through Aug. 1.


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CFP: Convergence Culture and the Fantastic (10/31/10; ICFA, 3/16/11 – 3/20/11)
Participants are being sought for paper sessions on Convergence Culture and the Fantastic for the 32nd annual International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts.
The focus of ICFA 32 is on the humorous and ridiculous in the fantastic, and while papers relating to this theme are welcome, proposals on any topics related to this call will be equally welcome. The conference will be held in Orlando, Florida, from March 16 - 20, 2011 at the Orlando Marriott Airport Hotel. Guests of Honor are Connie Willis and Terry Bisson, and the Guest Scholar is Andrea Hairston. For more information and updates about the conference, please visit www.iafa.org.
Possible topics include (but are not limited to) the following topics:
Viral Marketing Campaigns
Alternate Reality Games (ARG's).
Specific marketing campaigns for movies, books, television series, video games
Cross-media storytelling (e.g., The Matrix films relying on video games and anime to add narrative layers/detail to the work as a whole)
The role of "fictional" blogs and websites (corporate-run behind the scenes)
In order to be considered for the 2011 program, your proposal to (1) read a paper, (2) recruit and chair a paper session, or (3) organize and chair a panel discussion should be date-stamped no later than October 31, 2010; electronic correspondence is preferred. You may not submit proposals to more than one Division. Proposals must include a 500-word abstract and appropriate bibliography indicating the project's scholarly or theoretical context. Be sure to include current/working contact information (snail mail AND email addresses). Presenters must be members of IAFA at the time of the conference. Be sure to indicate all audio-visual equipment needs in this initial proposal; later A/V requests cannot be guaranteed.
Barbara Lucas, Division Head
Participatory and Convergence Studies in the Fantastic
5925 Cabot Parkway
Alpharetta, GA 30022
The deadline for submissions is October 31, 2010. However, proposals will be reviewed and accepted as they are received. Electronic submissions are preferred.
You can review all conference information and sign up for the IAFA listserv at www.iafa.org. Bookmark the site to keep checking back for updates.
We encourage work from institutionally-affiliated scholars, independent scholars, international scholars who work in languages other than English, graduate students, and undergraduate students.
Please feel free to forward this call to other listservs and individuals who might be interested.


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Here's the latest article from the Single Life site at BellaOnline.com.
Having Fun 101
Remember what it was like to just have fun and not worry about how you appeared to others? When just having fun was the objective? Now is the time to reclaim our enthusiasm for fun, fun, and fun!
Please visit singlelife.bellaonline.com for even more great content about Single Life.
To participate in free, fun online discussions, this site has a community forum all about Single Life located here -
I hope to hear from you sometime soon, either in the forum or in response to this email message. I thrive on your feedback!
Have fun passing this message along to family and friends, because we all love free knowledge!
Christyann Anderson, Single Life Editor
One of hundreds of sites at BellaOnline.com


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Today I was invited over to one of my childhood friend's house my friend told me he had a game he wanted me to help him out with to my dismay it turned out to be 4e D&D. Now I have tried this edition more than one time as player and as DM and every time I did it always seemed to leave a very sour taste in my mouth.
To me it never seem to hold the same magic the same feel that earlier editions did to me, however my friend wanted me to help him learn the rules of the game as he was
Resheathing his blades in favour of his bow, the Hunter readies an arrow for distance and covers his Gnomish companion. As Peebo discerns the magical trap, Kael seasrches his mind for what it might be.
Peebo searches the door covering every inch and finds a trap on the door after close to ten minutes he discerns the trap to be some kind of magical trap. He has some experience with magical traps but he knows they are far more difficult to disarm than those of a mechanical nature......
Khan doesn't seem to notice the stench as he surveys the area. He looks at the bodies in the way they were killed.
"Looking to see if those Orcs were aligned with the Sorcerer, not sure how only a few Orcs could take down this many foe even if it is over a time. They probably had help, used that ambush technique a few times, or more of them are around. I think the later...keep 360 coverage."
With that Khan pushes forward nodding to the Ranger and Scout
Rickas tends to anyone who needs help recovering from the awful stench.
Nobody seems to be injured, so he removes as much blood and gore from his morning star as he can and readies to move out.
Until the illness wears off, the Hunter sits on his haunches, completing his stomach emptying as quietly as possible. His blades are still out and ready, but still. Gasping, he glares up at the door the Orcs came through. "We were followed. Perhaps even set up? There is little


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This year, in order to keep things more focused and semi-concise, I have asked our contributors to select only their Top 5 picks, with domestic and import titles fair game. The results still offer variety and were able to zone in on one specific favorite title, even though the honored title was still chosen by fewer than half of our participants.
JOHN CHARLES (Associate Editor)
SWEENEY TODD (Paramount): 2007's best horror movie. Cannibal pics (with or without zombies) are always some kind of statement about "consumer society." This movie is frank about it, and we can take the rhetoric and the gloom because it's all so paradoxically artificial and lovely, from the voices to the gouts of blood. Tonally, it's the dour flip side to BIG FISH, the other contender for Tim Burton's best film. The DVD has good docs and spares us a Burton commentary, all good choices.
INNOCENCE (Homevision): Lucile Hadzihalilovic's fable of uncertain time and unfathomable place: a boarding school deep in a forest. Girls arrive in coffins and learn certain skills before going forth into the world's mysteries. Idyllic and lovely, harsh and dreadful, metaphorical and concrete, it's told almost completely and calmly from the girls' point of view.
DEXTER: THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON (Showtime/Paramount): More suspenseful and disturbing than Season One and deeper in its revelations and ambiguities. With boxes of new TV like this, HEROES, PUSHING DAISIES, MAD MEN etc. on top of old shows like THE UNTOUCHABLES, ROUTE 66, HONEY WEST, M SQUAD etc. to catch up on, I propose a moratorium on new releases for five years.
MICHAEL CLAYTON (Warner): Not the kind of socially earnest statement I dread from George Clooney. Suffused with the immanence of an alternate reality and edited with lovely indirectness, this is almost a subtle work of fantasy, a dangerous fairy tale complete with doppelgangers. Every scene combines classical clarity with modernist ambiguity. Tilda Swinton radiates desperation as she tries to swim in a sea of powerful men.
Omitted from this list at great pain: GEORGES MELIES: FIRST WIZARD OF CINEMA (1986-1913), on the cop-out that I haven't finished watching it), BRAND UPON THE BRAIN, THE SAVAGES, THERE WILL BE BLOOD, PHASE IV, NORIKO'S DINNER TABLE, and THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY.
GAUMONT, LE CINEMA PREMIER (Paramount, France): A seven-disc set, attractively packaged in a file box, of early French cinema. Two discs offer eleven Feuillade shorts made between 1907 and 1913, ranging from staged tableaux of social realism to surreal comedy (BOUT DE ZAN VOLE UN ELEPHANT). Three contain the work of Léonce Perret, including two full-length melodramas with strikingly naturalistic performances, L'ENFANT DE PARIS and LE ROMAN DE MOUSSE (which ends as possibly the cinema's first courtroom drama). Two represent the early career of Alice Guy, the first female film director, who proves to have made great silent comedies: try LA COURSE A LA SAUCISSE, a four-minute chase that becomes increasingly surreal, and the 1907 LE BILLET DE BANQUE, which in eleven minutes manages to prefigure Chaplin's tramp, Hulot's dogs, Renoir's Boudu and even (in the moment when the tramp finds a rosary in his pocket and chucks it on the floor) Buñuel, as well as being genuinely hilarious. A trove for film historians, often a lot of fun, not infrequently beautiful.
THIS SPORTING LIFE (Criterion): A splendid restoration of Lindsay Anderson's first masterpiece, one of the few real films to emerge from the British new wave of the period. It can be mistaken for mere social realism, but it's far more than that – its scenes of passion have a terrifying intensity, and its structure recalls Resnais without aping him. It makes me mourn all over again the lost opportunity of Anderson's WUTHERING HEIGHTS with Richard Harris. The two-disc set also contains (along with much else) two of his early documentaries and his dispirited final filmic statement, Is That All There Is?
Which epic from the Miriam collection? Much as I love EL CID, I'm even fonder of THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE, and the Miriam restoration is the kind of treatment it deserves.
Have the colours been boosted a little? I much prefer how it looks here to the appearance of the 70mm print that turned up in Britain last year, faded to amber (appropriately elegiac, maybe, but that kind of inadvertency can pall). Even without the copious extras on the two-disc set (or three-disc, if you can find it), this would be an essential edition of Anthony Mann's great late film.
I've chosen a western, though that immediately makes me wish I had room for the excellent Boetticher box. However, the restoration of Raoul Walsh's THE BIG TRAIL is extraordinary – a 1930 widescreen epic in semi-documentary style with vistas as awesome as anything in Ford or Anthony Mann. That the camera hardly ever moves only adds to the film's power. The two-disc Region 1 set from Fox includes the reshot Academy ratio version, a fascinating comparison in itself.
Leo McCarey's legendary 1937 box-office disaster MAKE WAY FOR TOMORROW (rumoured at the time to have driven members of the audience to suicide) is at last available from BAC Video in France as PLACE AUX JEUNES. It may well be the director's greatest film; it's certainly his most moving (as much so in its own way as TOKYO STORY, which is a partial remake). The French subtitles are irremovable, but don't let them put you off. The film is available as a single Region 2 disc or as part of the set HOLLYWOOD CLASSICS: LEO McCAREY, which also includes SIX OF A KIND, BELLE OF THE NINETIES and RUGGLE OF RED GAP.
GRINDHOUSE (Japanese import box set): The long-supressed (in America) theatrical cut, both extended features, all of the American supplements and a handful of exclusive Japanese extras? Okay--color me satisfied. GRINDHOUSE (Japanese import box set) The long-supressed (in America) theatrical cut, both extended features, all of the American supplements and a handful of exclusive Japanese extras? Okay--color me satisfied.
ICONS OF ADVENTURE/ICONS OF HORROR (Sony): A Hammer bumper crop is always cause for celebration, and it's nice to see such potentially "troublesome" titles as THE STRANGLERS OF BOMBAY and THE TERROR OF THE TONGS slip through, but it's the original British cut of THE TWO FACES OF DR. JEKYLL that would have landed on this list with or without the accompanying features. And while there's more to it than that, let me say it for the record: "DAMN you, Jekyll!!!!"
THE NAKED PREY (Criterion): One of the most gripping and influential films of my youth--and still the first thing I name when asked about horrific sequences in non-horror films. Amazing work from a near one-man-band (Cornel Wilde) with a healthy respect for nature which comes across in spite of the deliberately disturbing footage of predation by man and beast alike. This stands in direct contrast to...
STANLEY (BCI): Certainly not one of the "best" titles available this or any year, but unquestionably one of the most significant jobs of restoration performed in 2008. Over 15m of extra footage does, indeed, make William Grefe's "respect nature or die" snake thriller a stronger film... and simultaneously reveals it to be a work of contemptible hypocrisy from filmmakers every bit as bad as the fictional snake-bashers earmarked for lethal revenge in their work. Get 'em, Stanley!
WALKER (Criterion): Twenty years ago, I thought I was the only one who liked Alex Cox's ill-received followups to his acclaimed REPO MAN and SID AND NANCY. Well, STRAIGHT TO HELL justifiably remains a cult item at best, but there's nothing like a little Criterion vindication to set the record straight on Cox's astonishing biopic, headlining a mesmerizing Ed Harris as William Walker, the notorioius, self-appointed President of Nicaragua...
Honorable mentions: DIARY OF THE DEAD (Dimension Extreme), THE BLUE EYES OF THE BROKEN DOLL and HUMAN BEASTS (BCI), RODAN/WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS (Classic Media).____________________
2. DOCTOR WHO: THE COMPLETE FOURTH SERIES (BBC Video/2 Entertain): 13 episodes, including more gems from the pen of Steven Moffat (who wrote the best episodes from previous seasons, among them "The Girl in the Fireplace" and "Blink"), a 70m special placing The Doctor (David Tennant) on the Titanic, an 8m short teaming Tennant with the Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison), and over 4 hours of special features… I haven't had time to take it all in yet, but the new DOCTOR WHO consistently delivers the goods.
3. A PISTOL FOR RINGO (Eine Pistole für Ringo, KOCH Media, PAL R2): Ducio Tessari's outstanding 1965 Euro-Western, released in an anamorphic transfer for the first time, making up for the compromised and expensive Japanese release and the more recent (but still non-anamorphic) Thai release. English and Italian soundtracks are included in addition to the German track, but there are no English subs, unfortunately. The lack of English subs does render the extras of limited value to monolingual English speakers, but, still, this is an attractive release of an undeservedly obscure movie that makes for great holiday viewing (it takes place at Christmas). Available from http://www.amazon.de/.
4. THE LAST WINTER (IFC): Graced with a much higher budget than his earlier trilogy of revisionist horror, it should come as no surprise that THE LAST WINTER is the most expansive of Larry Fessenden's movies, as well as a distillation and summation of his prior work. Like NO TELLING, HABIT and WENDIGO, THE LAST WINTER serves up melancholy horror, but this time it's melancholy on a planetary level. Following a Toronto screening of HABIT, Fessenden stated that, in an ideal world, the audience wouldn't know what kind of a movie they were about to watch, and would get drawn in by the drama before being blindsided by the fantastic. Of course, that's not how the marketplace works, and Fessenden's restrained, low-key approach to the horror genre can leave some fans feeling frustrated. For those on Fessenden's wavelength, however, his "arthouse horror films" often resonate in ways that typical scary movies just don't. Fessenden sees horror films as an attempt at "accepting death [and] coming to terms with our limitations." It's impossible to watch THE LAST WINTER without comparing it to John Carpenter's THE THING (1982); the biggest difference is that, this time, instead of an alien threat coming to our planet, it's the planet itself that has turned against humanity. Fessenden is much more concerned with messages than Carpenter is, and while his movie does not come close to providing the horror or thrills that THE THING does, THE LAST WINTER has its own, different strengths, among them a genuine emotional dimension, mounting dread, and a poignant and moving climax. A worthy release of the latest feature from one of the most original and interesting voices working in the horror genre today.
THE COLLECTOR'S CHOICE: THE FILMS OF BUDD BOETTICHER (Sony): Following up the excellent standalone edition of SEVEN MEN FROM NOW, here are all the other Boetticher-Randolph Scott westerns (THE TALL T, DECISION AT SUNDOWN, BUCHANAN RIDES ALONE, RIDE LONSESOME, COMANCHE STATION), plus a documentary, celebrity intros, etc. Endlessly rewatchable films in optimal editions.
THE OWL SERVICE (Network UK import): I contributed an essay to the liner notes of the R2 Network release of this 1969 TV serial, adapted from the novel by Alan Garner. Three teenagers – notably Gillian Hills (BEAT GIRL, BLOW UP, DEMONS OF THE MIND) in her greatest role – discover mysteriously decorated crockery in the attic of a remote house in Wales, and are caught up in the cyclical re-enactment of an ancient, tragic legend. Ostensibly for kids, this does many startling things adult drama would be afraid of these days. I listed this last year as a bootleg, but the official release is splendid.
TOUCH OF EVIL (Universal): When I reviewed an earlier release of the 'restored version' of this major title, containing a cut of the film re-edited after Welles' death in accordance with a memo he made at the time of the original release, I said it was a shame that the disc didn't include also the previously accepted version of the film, arguing that the Welles memo was a negotiating document (making suggestions he didn't really want to fight for as bargaining chips to get the changes he wanted) rather than a hard-and-fast plan. Well, the 50th Anniversary R1 edition from Universal has two versions. The original theatrical release and a longer, 'preview' cut (the default version in the UK for as long as I can remember), plus four commentary tracks (including one from the late Janet Leigh and Charlton Heston) and documentaries. Now, the job is done …
GET SMART (HBO): I have the nicely-packaged R1 box set of all five seasons, but various R1 and R2 single season releases are around or coming. In viewing, I'm near the end of Season Three, when the show is slipping slightly – but the earlier episodes hold up remarkably well, not so much for the snappy satire (a commentator in Sight & Sound said Get Smart gave a better sense of how the CIA conducted its business than THE GOOD SHEPHERD) and clever gadgetry but the endlessly funny central relationships, as the blithe, confident idiot Max (Don Adams) is taken to be a superspy genius by everyone, including his more competent but loveblind partner 99 (Barbara Feldon), except his eternally frustrated, driven-to-the-edge-of-insanity Chief (Ed Platt).
PHASE IV (Legend Films): How wonderful to have this 70s rarity - the only feature film ever directed by main title creator Saul Bass - available on DVD and a good-looking one, too. Me Generation sci-fi ponderousness at its best!
RODAN/WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS (Classic Media): I never would have packaged these two daikaiju eiga together but I'm glad somebody did... and who better than Toho? Answer: nobody.
RICCO THE MEAN MACHINE (Dark Sky Films): It's so great to have this particularly nasty piece of Euro-sleaze available (especially after such a long delay due to legal wrangling), complete, uncut and gin clear in all its acid-washed glory. If you're been able to watch Manny Zarzo castrated on a 52" flatscreen... a drink to you, sir.
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (Dimension): Happy 40th birthday, NOTLD, and what a gorgeous, sharp transfer to mark the occasion. We all grew up with this classic looking like a kinescope on any number of late, late show broadcasts and public domain video tapes; if you haven't revisited this in optimum condition, you may well see it as if for the first time. Toss all previous editions onto the fire.
2. THEM (Dark Sky Films): As much as I enjoyed THE STRANGERS, the exceptionally scary American takeoff of this taut French horror film, somehow THEM left more of a lasting impact on me; those unexplained noises than emanate from my downstairs periodically are now cause for investigation. So riveting is the film's home invasion component that the dénouement cannot quite measure up to it, but I never felt cheated—not sure if I ever have felt that way following a modern movie experience that failed to reach eighty minutes. Fortunately this DVD is augmented with a collection of featurettes that are worth investing some time in. Skillfully photographed and edited, THEM is one of the most accomplished exercises in suspense to be released on DVD this past year.
3. ICONS OF HORROR: HAMMER FILMS (Sony): This addition to Sony's Icons of Horror Collection offers tremendous value at its $24.96 SRP, but at the moment the savvy internet shopper can give it a home for well under $20. Hell, I would have paid $20 just for THE TWO FACES OF DR. JEKYLL, or the enjoyable PSYCHO permutation SCREAM OF FEAR. Also included in the 2-disc set are THE GORGON and the merely passable Hammer film THE CURSE OF THE MUMMY'S TOMB. Special features are limited to theatrical trailers, but each film is presented in an anamorphically enhanced widescreen version for the first time in the U.S. I'll take multiple widescreen films over supplemental material any day.
4. IRON MAN (Paramount): I cannot say I'm a big fan of the superhero genre; heretofore my two faves were UNBREAKABLE and THE INCREDIBLES. But IRON MAN is as good as any film of this type that preceded it, especially alongside such modern catastrophes as SUPERMAN RETURNS and the crummy X-MEN films. If anything comes along to trump IRON MAN's surprisingly intelligent screenplay and spot-on performances anytime soon—well—let's face it, that just isn't likely to happen (count me among the few who found THE DARK KNIGHT to be a bit overrated). IRON MAN on Blu-ray delivers a particularly potent demonstration of the format's potential, along with the expected amount of supplemental material (a lot).
5. FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL (Universal): I seldom laugh much at mainstream comedies, but no other film this past year made me laugh to the extent of FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL. As a fan of VERONICA MARS, it's always good to see Kristen Bell (aside from Kiyoshi Kurosawa remakes), even though Mila Kunis and Russell Brand effectively steal the show. I'm still no Judd Apatow fan; I truly hated PINEAPPLE EXPRESS—probably the worst film I saw theatrically this past year. But FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL is undeniably funny and well worth repeat viewings. It's available in various DVD incarnations, including a loaded 3-disc DVD, as well as a Blu-ray disc.
Honorable Mentions:
The flood of great and rare cinema being made available for home viewing continued unabated in 2008. Indeed, it is now hardly possible to keep up with every worthwhile release: I haven't yet purchased Artificial Eye's HISTOIRE(S) DU CINEMA, while my pile of unwatched discs has now hit the ceiling, and contains films by Visconti, Dreyer, Melville, Naruse, Resnais and Shepitko. The following must therefore be seen as less a definitive list than a casual guide to DVDs which were of personal importance.
1- KENJI MIZOGUCHI box sets (Masters of Cinema and Eclipse): Masters of Cinema released many sublime films last year, including masterpieces by Lang, Pialat, Antonioni and Murnau. Perhaps the finest were those contained in their four Mizoguchi double-billl discs, which, along with Eclipse's FALLEN WOMEN collection, finally provided some long overdue DVD exposure for one of the greatest directors of all time. Now if only somebody would release an English-subtitled transfer of THE LOVE OF SUMAKO THE ACTRESS.
2- MARCO FERRERI COLLECTION (Koch Lorber): Another great director whose reputation has suffered from his work's lack of availability, Marco Ferreri seemed an unlikely candidate for the box set treatment. Koch Lorber's very welcome 8-disc collection (which includes an excellent documentary) contains a mixture of Ferreri's better known films (LA GRANDE BOUFFE, TALES OF ORDINARY MADNESS) and rarities such as EL COCHECITO and THE SEED OF MAN. The set's highlight is the rarely seen uncut 113-minute version of the remarkable BYE BYE MONKEY, running 19 minutes longer than Image's disc, which eliminated the character played by William Berger (still uncredited here).
3- MIKLOS JANCSCO (Second Run): Second Run is another UK-based company releasing films for love rather than profit. Recent highlights include Miklós Jancsó's THE ROUND UP, THE RED AND THE WHITE and MY WAY HOME, all of which are accompanied by episodes of the director's documentary series MESSAGE OF STONES. Second Run's tireless founder Mehelli Modhi even brought Jancsó to London to help promote these discs: meeting him was among the most memorable events of 2008.
4- TWO-LANE BLACKTOP (Criterion) and TRAPPED ASHES (Lionsgate): It's been almost two decades since the words "Directed by Monte Hellman" last appeared on our screens, so seeing them five times in one year certainly suggested things were looking up. Four of these directorial efforts consist of documentaries made by Hellman for Criterion's splendid TWO-LANE BLACKTOP disc, which also includes some fascinating screen tests and a new commentary track, as well as a flawless transfer of the film. The fifth is "Stanley's Girlfriend," part of Dennis Bartok's anthology TRAPPED ASHES. The version of this sublime short (a more perfect 27 minutes is difficult to imagine) found in the actual film has been damagingly shortened and reworked, but Hellman's original cut, shown separately at Cannes, is included on Lionsgate's Region 1 disc as an extra.
5- THE FLOCK (High Fliers): The image has been cropped to 1.85, there are no extras, and, quite frankly, the film isn't even that good. But the totally unexpected appearance of Andrew Lau's much revised and reshot (by Niels Mueller) US debut in a director's cut released straight to DVD by a minor UK distributor was certainly cause for celebration. High Fliers didn't bother to boast (and probably didn't even know) about the restored status of their transfer, but any resemblance between this version and the producer's cut (a Region 1 disc of which is available from Genius, whose packaging includes a still from a scene that only appears in the Region 2 edition) is purely coincidental. A comparison of the two variants testifies eloquently to the difference between a film made by a filmmaker and a film made by a committee.____________________
Our "best of" choices are presented in no particular order. Two of our choices are the Blu-ray editions of the films, although the same material is available in SD DVD as well.
PLANET OF THE APES: 40-YEAR EVOLUTION (20th Century-Fox, 5-Blu-ray Disc set):
For long-standing fans of the Planet of the Apes series such as ourselves, this is the definitive set to have of this series—finally! Besides the HD image quality, both theatrical and director's cuts of CONQUEST OF THE PLANET OF THE APES and BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES are included, as well as many hours of exclusive supplements. The set also includes a hardcover book of exclusive photos and other materials.
THE INVADERS: THE FIRST SEASON (Paramount 4-DVD set): Although short-lived, the Quinn Martin produced series THE INVADERS (1967-68)—about the Cassandra-like David Vincent vainly trying to warn the world of an invasion by aliens from outer space—is vintage television at its (paranoid) best. We long looked forward to this series appearing on Region 1 DVD (season two is to appear on Region 1 DVD in late January 2009), and we were not disappointed by the presentation of the series in this excellent box set. Not only does the set include the unedited, never-aired version of the pilot ("Beachhead"), but there are new introductions to each episode provided by Roy Thinnes as well as other supplements. What's more, the transfers are excellent.
DAVID LYNCH: THE LIME GREEN SET (Absurda): This 10-DVD set is an absolute must-have for fans of Lynch's work, or those wishing for an extended introduction. The LIME GREEN SET includes 1) ERASERHEAD; 2) the (remastered) ERASERHEAD soundtrack; 3) THE SHORT FILMS OF DAVID LYNCH; 4) THE ELEPHANT MAN, presented here with a new audio mix approved by David Lynch and interesting new supplements; 5) THE ELEPHANT MAN EXTRAS, which includes a documentary plus new interviews with David Lynch and John Hurt; 6) BLUE VELVET with a new Lynch-approved DD 5.1 mix exclusive to this set; 7) WILD AT HEART (identical to the 2005 MGM Sp. Ed.); 8) DVD debut of INDUSTRIAL SYMPHONY No. 1, presented in 4:3 standard as well as 16:9 anamorphic WS; 9) DUMBLAND; Disc 10 is the highly anticipated "Mystery DVD," which includes roughly three dozen deleted scenes from WILD AT HEART, episodes of OUT YONDER; 4 episodes of RABBITS, and several short clips transferred from 16mm material from the late 60s while Lynch was still in Philadelphia, the "Twin Peaks Festival Greeting" (a short film Lynch recently made for the Twin Peaks Festival), and many other rare pieces. Additionally, the box comes with a 30-page booklet of stills with many rare photos.
BECKET (MPI Blu-ray): BECKET, starring Peter O'Toole as King Henry II and Richard Burton as Thomas à Becket, is one of our all-time favorite films, a grand historical epic about two old friends who become enemies. It was the martyred Thomas Becket, after all, that prompted Chaucer's entourage in THE CANTERBURY TALES to undertake their pilgrimage to Canterbury, where the shrine to Becket is located. MPI's BD issue of the restored print is simply outstanding. We're delighted to be able to retire our roughly twenty-years old (standard transfer) laser disc.
WHITE DOG (Criterion): We met the inimical Sam Fuller at the 1981 Telluride Film Festival, by which time the filming of WHITE DOG had been completed, but we have waited the twenty-seven years since that weekend to see this film. For us this release was the biggest revelation of the year. We had no idea what to expect, but we were more than impressed by WHITE DOG, one of the final films of the famed auteur.


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HOLLAND -- Letterwinners on spring sports teams at Hope College have been announced by athletic directors Tim Schoonveld and women's athletic director Eva Dean Folkert.
HOLLAND -- Letterwinners on spring sports teams at Hope College have been announced by athletic directors Tim Schoonveld and women's athletic director Eva Dean Folkert.
The spring season culminated a successful year of intercollegiate athletics as Hope College won the Commisioner's Cup for having the best cumulative men's and women's program in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA). Hope finished first in the MIAA men's and second in the women's all-sports standings.
It marked the 32nd time in school history that Hope has won the coveted MIAA Commissioner's Cup, the most of any member school.
Eighteen athletes lettered in their sport for a fourth consecutive year. They are Michael Dekker (baseball), Deidra Enochs (softball), Alex Fryer (baseball), John Gardner (tennis), Michael Garland (tennis), Haleigh Gokey (track), Marissa Kooyers (tennis), Krista Liverance (softball), Jeffrey Minkus (track), Elizabeth Olson (tennis), Robby Poll (baseball), Frank Previch (track), Scotty Snyder (baseball), Steve Tompkins (baseball), Aaron Treiber (track), Danielle Werley (tennis), Beth Yahraus (softball), Pete Zessin (baseball).
Baseball Letterwinners
Luke Andrusiak*, freshman from Middleville (Caledonia)
Colton Bodrie***, junior from Fremont (Fremont)
Drew Carmody***, junior from Grandville (Grandville)
Jordan Carrigan*, freshman from Buchanan (Berrien Springs)
Adam Clements**, sophomore from Saline (Saline)
Ryan Crawley*, freshman from CentralLake (Central Lake)
Wyatt Curry***, junior from Sault Ste. Marie (Sault Area)
Michael Dekker****, senior from Hamilton (Hamilton)
Danny Detmar**, sophomore from Chesterton, Ind. (Chesterton)
Curtis Drozd*, freshman from Allegan (Allegan)
Steven Esbin**, sophomore from Carmel, Ind. (Carmel)
Derek Fairchild***, junior from Saline (Saline)
Alex Fryer****, senior from Clearwater, Fla. (Clearwater)
T.J. Klein*, freshman from Circle Pines, Minn. (Centennial)
Andrew Klinkman**, junior from Dexter (Dexter)
Steve Lewis***, junior from Ada (Forest Hills)
Alex Luke*, freshman from Grand Rapids (East Grand Rapids)
Chris Mattson**, sophomore from Muskegon (MonaShores)
Spencer Miller*, freshman from Sheridan (Central Montcalm)
Ty Peterson*, freshman from Wheaton, Ill. (Warrenville South)
Robby Poll****, senior from Grandville (Grandville)
Jon Ponte**, sophomore from Novi (Divine Child)
Cory Schmidt*, freshman from Milan, Ohio (Edison)
Scotty Snyder****, senior from Berrien Springs (Berrien Springs)
Steve Tompkins****, senior from Glen Ellyn, Ill. (Glenbard West)
Zach VanNoord**, sophomore from Hudsonville (Hudsonville)
David Winters**, sophomore from Hudsonville (Hudsonville)
Pete Zessin****, senior from Holland (Holland)
Eric Zylstra*, freshman from Grand Rapids (East Kentwood)
Softball Letterwinners
Molly Collins*, freshman from HoughtonLake (Houghton Lake)
Deidra Enochs****, senior from Summerfield, Fla. (Belleview)
Stephanie Faber**, sophomore from Byron Center (South Christian)
Jo Forst*, freshman from Gibbon, Minn. (Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop)
Anne Henrichs**, sophomore from Waterford, Wisc. (Burlington Catholic Central)
Kristin Higgs*, freshman from Sturgis (Sturgis)
Allison Isham*, sophomore from Charlotte (Charlotte)
Krista Liverance****, senior from Williamston (Williamston)
Michelle Marra***, junior from Waldwick, N.J. (Waldwick)
Leanne Miedema*, senior from Jenison (Covenant Christian)
Kelly Mulcahy**, sophomore from Long Valley, N.J. (West Morris Central)
Kori Nieuwsma***, junior from Lakeville, Mn. (Bethany Christian Academy)
Abby Phillips***, junior from Wayland (Wayland)
Andrea Reinecke***, junior from Eaton Rapids (Eaton Rapids)
Suzie Stevenson*, junior from Granger, Ind. (Penn)
Laura Tjepkema*, freshman from Dorr (South Christian)
Beth Yahraus****, senior from Bryan, Ohio (Bryan)
Men's Tennis Letterwinners
Gabe Casher*, freshman from Ann Arbor (Pioneer)
Bobby Cawood*, freshman from East Lansing (East Lansing)
Harrison Doezema*, freshman from Grand Rapids (Grand Rapids Christian)
John Gardner****, senior from Granville, Ohio (Granville)
Michael Garland****, senior from Kohler, Wisc. (Kohler)
Kevin Hagan*, junior from Okemos (Okemos)
Alex Hughes**, sophomore from Hudson, Ohio (Hudson)
Jonathan Lautz*, junior from Wheaton, Ill. (Wheaton North)
Davis Vanderveen*, freshman from Clarkston (Clarkston)
Women's Tennis Letterwinners
Alyssa Austin*, junior from SpringLake (Grand Haven)
Casey Baxter*, freshman from Saline (Saline)
Melissa Bieri*, freshman from Holland (Holland Christian)
Katherine Garcia***, junior from Battle Creek (Battle Creek Central)
Marissa Kooyers****, senior from Holland (Holland Christian)
Leah LaBarge*, freshman from Hudsonville (Hudsonville)
Elizabeth Olson****, senior from Ankeny, Ia. (Ankeny)
Shelby Schultz*, freshman from Allegan (Allegan
Nicole Spagnuolo***, junior from Okemos (Okemos)
Danielle Werley****, senior from Holland (Holland)
Men's Track Letterwinners
Eric Anderson***, senior from Ann Arbor (Pioneer)
Elliott Barney*, sophomore from South Holland, Ill. (Seton cademy)
Christian Calyore**, sophomore from Naples, Fla. (Barron Collier)
Aaron Chew*, junior from Novi (Northville)
Matthew Clark***, junior from Holland (Holland)
James Colten***, junior from Wheaton, Ill. (Wheaton North)
Bryan Dekoekkoek***, senior from Martin (Kalamazoo Christian)
Kyle Dietrich*, junior from Gobles (Gobles)
John Donkersloot***, junior from Zeeland (Zeeland East)
Josh Echtinaw**, sophomore from Caledonia (Caledonia)
Christian Everett*, freshman from Covert (Bangor)
Dezmon Fulton***, junior from Southfield (Dearborn Robiehaud)
Kyle Gibson*, sophomore from Alma (Alma)
Brian Hernandez**, sophomore from Tecumseh (Saline)
William Hewitt*, sophomore from Grand Haven (Grand Haven)
Nolan Howes*, freshman from Ellsworth (CentralLake)
Ryan Jara*, senior from CommerceTownship (Walled Lake Northern)
Bruce Kraay*, junior from Zeeland (Zeeland East)
Cameron Lampkin***, junior from Oak Park (Berkley)
Nathan Love**, sophomore from Midland (Midland)
Christopher Mauney*, senior from South Lyon (South Lyon)
Brett May*, junior from Belmont (Rockford)
Andrew McKeachie**, sophomore from Milford (Milford)
Jeffrey Minkus****, senior from Glen Ellyn, Ill. (Glenbard West)
Michael Paas**, senior from Dorr (Wayland)
Preston Pierson**, senior from Traverse City (Traverse City Central)
Frank Previch****, senior from Adrian (Onsted)
Joel Rietsema*, freshman from Rockford (Rockford)
Nicholas Rinck***, junior from Hudsonville (Hudsonville)
Jonathan Rodriguez***, senior from Berrien Springs (Berrien Springs)
Blake Rottschafer*, sophomore from SpringLake (SpringLake)
Andrew Scholfield*, junior from Chester, N.J. (W. Morris Mendham)
Carl Scholten**, junior from Petoskey (Petoskey)
Sean Squires*, junior from Mayville (Mayville)
John Stathakis*, freshman from ShelbyTownship (Lutheran North)
Aaron Treiber****, senior from Auburn (Valley Lutheran)
Kyle VanderVeen**, sophomore from Alto (Caledonia)
Zak Vossen*, sophomore from Belmont (Northview)
Matthew Wiersum***, senior from Minnetonka, Minn. (Minnetonka)
Women's Track Letterwinners
Claire Bird***, junior from New Paltz, N.Y. (New Paltz)
Kristen Bosch*, sophomore from Allendale (Unity Christian)
Tracy Dekoekkoek**, sophomore from Martin (Kalamazoo Christian)
Erika Dvorak*, sophomore from Rochester Hills (Rochester Adams)
Emily Fischer***, junior from Naperville, Ill. (Naperville Central)
Lisa Geurink**, sophomore from Zeeland (Allendale)
Kaitlin Glomski*, junior from Kalamazoo (Mattawan)
Katrina Gobrogge**, sophomore from Napoleon, Ohio (Archbold)
Haleigh Gokey****, senior from Mattawan (Paw Paw)
Heidi Grooters*, junior from Jenison (Jenison)
Shaelie Harper*, freshman from Holland (Holland)
Sharon Hecker*, sophomore from Grandville (Grandville)
Chelsea Holicki*, junior from Coldwater (Coldwater)
Michelle Irvin*, sophomore from New Baltimore (Lutheran North)
Jacqueline Kirsch**, sophomore from HarborBeach (Harbor each)
Emily Kreichelt***, junior from Northville (Northville)
Rachael Kutney***, junior from St. Clair Shores (Lakeshore)
Emma Lucas**, senior from Boon (Cadillac)
Kelly Lufkin**, sophomore from Houghton (Houghton)
Kathleen Martin*, freshman from Portage (Portage Central)
Taylor Mattarella*, freshman from Traverse City (Traverse City Central)
Morgan McCardel*, freshman from Traverse City (St. Francis)
Kate Nelson**, freshman from Williamston (Williamston)
Elizabeth Northuis*, senior from Holland (Holland)
Danielle Poll*, sophomore from Grandville (Grandville)
Kristen Previch*, senior from Adrian (Onsted Community)
Kristen Reschke**, sophomore from Naperville, Ill. (Naperville Central)
Amanda Schab*, junior from Galesburg (Galesburg-Augusta)
Emily Streelman**, sophomore from Jenison (Unity Christian)
Amanda Thomas*, freshman from South Lyon (South Lyon)
Kara Vande Guchte***, junior from Hamilton (Hamilton)|
Kelsi Vande Guchte*, freshman from Hamilton (Hamilton)
Sarah VanderMeer***, junior from Holland (Holland)
Sarah Venlet*, sophomore from Zeeland (Holland Christian)
Rachel Walton**, sophomore from Columbus, Ohio (Worthington Christian)
Kristen Warriner**, sophomore from Eaton Rapids (Eaton Rapids)


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Tobacco tax costing customers, store owners more
Senator plans to introduce new bill
There is new hope for tobacco store owners as a state senator tries to finalize a bill that could end the city of Omaha's new tobacco tax.
Sen. Bob Krist said he is listening to the complaints of the new tobacco tax, which just went into effect, and is ready to introduce a bill the first day of the legislative session.
"The bill is very clear -- definition of an occupation tax and how it should be used and how it should not be used," Krist said.
The City Council approved the 3 percent tobacco tax last year to help provide funding for the University of Nebraska Medical Center's new cancer center.
"It should never be used as a point-of-sale tax," Krist said.
Bob Wagner said he has to remind his customers at a midtown tobacco store that their cigarettes now cost more. Wagner said Omaha's new tobacco tax is already costing him.
"We had to reprogram the register; some registers are not able to calculate two taxes at once," Wagner said.
Wagner said he spent hundreds of dollars on new software and several hours to scan all his products into the system. His customers are now paying an extra $1.60 a carton to the city.
"Tobacco is the easiest target on the planet, and they go after it with both barrels," Wagner said.


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Disk Order is a dual pane file manager for your Mac.
It is an advanced Finder replacement that comes with built-in FTP/SFTP client, ability to handle archives like plain folders, network browser, iPod/iPhone/iPad browsing plugin and other. It makes file management faster, because you don't have to launch separate applications for FTP, batch renaming files or extracting some data out of rar/zip/gz/tgz archive. Almost all tasks may be performed either with keystrokes or just few mouse clicks. It offers all usual features, such as Get Info, Copy/Move/Delete, View, Edit and so on. Disk Order works great on both Intel and PPC Macs.


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Kendall and Kylie Jenner debut exclusive PacSun line at Roosevelt Field Mall
Despite the approaching blizzard, more than 300 young girls and boys crammed in front of the PacSun at Roosevelt Field Mall Friday to meet two of reality TV's most famous sisters: Kendall and Kylie Jenner.
The duo were debuting their exclusive line for PacSun, "Kendall & Kylie," a mix of on-trend pieces like dresses, denim shorts and bandeaus inspired by PacSun and their California roots. Fans were there to meet the sisters and get autographs.
"We watched our older sisters and our mom create their own line and it inspired us," said Kylie, 15. "Because we grew up in California, we wanted to make our line about our casual California style."
Distressed, studded high-waisted denim shorts reflected that West Coast style, while a military-inspired button-up added a hint of grunge. Cotton Tees read "Kalifornia."
"PacSun really reflects our California style. It's edgy, beachy and fun," Kylie continued. "So when the opportunity came to design for them, we jumped on it."
The collection, which ranges from $24.50 to $79.50, took more than half a year to execute. The girls made sure it reflected both of their personal styles.
"I think Kylie is a little more edgy and I'm a little more casual and relaxed," said Kendall, 17.
"I pull my look off as more sophisticated and boho," Kylie added. "It all works in the collection."
It was their first visit to Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City, and the sisters drew no comparisons to the shopping back home.
"It's an amazing mall. I don't think we have malls this huge in L.A.," said Kylie.
The fans who packed the mall to see the Jenners were equally amazed, but for different reasons. Some even cried when they met the sisters.
"We think they're perfect and an inspiration," said Kaycie Gamblin, 15, of Lake Grove. Gamblin waited overnight with friend, Melissa Molinari, 16, of Holbrook to be the first few in line.
Currently, the sisters are working on their fall line after completing the summer line for "Kendall & Kylie." In between, they continue modeling, homeschooling and shooting episodes for "Keeping up with the Kardashians."


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| 12.8°C Belfast
The families of five "dedicated" British servicemen killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan have paid emotional tributes to their loved ones as they were named by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
Captain Thomas Clarke, Warrant Officer Spencer Faulkner and Corporal James Walters, all of the Army Air Corps (AAC) were serving as the Lynx aircraft's three-man team when they died.
They lost their lives together with Flight Lieutenant Rakesh Chauhan of the Royal Air Force and Lance Corporal Oliver Thomas of the Intelligence Corps, believed to have been passengers on the flight.
Their helicopter went down in Kandahar province, 30 miles from the border with Pakistan, on Saturday morning.
The MoD has denied claims by the Taliban that insurgents shot the helicopter down, with initial investigations indicating a "tragic accident" rather than enemy action as the cause of the crash.
Group Captain Richard Maddison, Station Commander at RAF Odiham, where all of five men except L/Cpl Thomas were based, said: "As with all losses of personnel in Afghanistan, we mourn the loss of our most capable and dedicated personnel, who served without complaint and in full understanding of the risks associated with their roles.
"They were fine ambassadors for their unit and for defence as a whole, and we shall not forget them."
Capt Clarke, 30, from Cowbridge, south Wales, was a pilot and "rising star" in the AAC who was "full of life and immensely committed to his soldiers and friends".
His family, which includes wife Angie, said: "We cannot express enough our devastation at the loss of a truly wonderful husband, son, brother and friend.
"Tom brought so much happiness and love to everyone he knew with his sparkling blue eyes and cheeky smile.
"He had an absolute passion for life and was the best part of us - we are all poorer today without him."
WO Faulkner, 38, was an "experienced aviator, loving husband and hugely dedicated father to two children" who had been deployed to Afghanistan on numerous occasions.
"Spen was a loving husband to Cally and devoted father to Natasha and Jack, and will be greatly missed," the pilot's family said.
"A huge gap has been left in our hearts forever. He has been tragically taken away whilst serving his country, a job he loved. God rest his soul."
Cpl Walters, 36, known as Bungle, was a "highly respected" junior non-commissioned officer who had deployed to Afghanistan on numerous occasions.
Regularly at the centre of any debate, especially when the subject involved rugby or Cornwall, the helicopter's gunner was known to be a "consummate professional".
His bereaved relatives said: "We cannot begin to comprehend the tragic loss of a beautiful and loving husband, daddy, son, and brother. James has left a huge hole in all our hearts."
Flt Lt Chauhan, 29, from Birmingham, was on his third tour of duty in Afghanistan as an intelligence officer when he died.
Known as Rak to his comrades, he was said to be "charming, funny and sharp as a tack".
L/Cpl Thomas, 26, from Brecon in Powys, Mid Wales, had volunteered for deployment to Afghanistan and arrived there in December last year.
His family described him as a " truly amazing person, living his life to the full, while fulfilling some of his many dreams and adventures".
The helicopter in which the men were travelling is believed to have been from AAC 657 Squadron, a top unit based at RAF Odiham which provides support and transport for special forces troops.
Explaining the role of 657 Squadron in special forces operations, defence analyst Paul Beaver said: "These are units which support special forces across the board.
"Pilots and aircrews are selected for their ability to carry out these special tasks.
"Pilots are selected for their flying skills and length of term.
"Most will at least be on their second or third tour and more is expected of them than of others."
The aircraft went down in the Takhta Pul district of Kandahar, in what was the worst incident involving a British military helicopter in Afghanistan since the war began there in 2001.
An investigation led by the Military Aviation Authority is under way to establish the cause of the crash, but the rest of the Lynx helicopters deployed in Afghanistan have not been grounded.
After paying tribute to the victims, Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said: "Lynx Mk 9A helicopters have a good operational safety record and commanders have judged that it is safe for the fleet to continue to operate while the investigation is carried out."
The crash caused the third biggest single loss of life of British troops since the conflict in Afghanistan began and brought the total number of service personnel killed there to 453.
Yesterday's incident equals the previous worst disaster involving a British helicopter, when a Lynx aircraft crashed in Basra City, Iraq, in May 2006 killing the five service personnel on board.
Nato forces are currently preparing to withdraw combat troops by the end of this year, with responsibility for fighting the Taliban uprising handed over to the Afghan army and police.
So far this year, 23 Nato troops are thought to have been killed in Afghanistan.


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X-Fusion is pleased to announce the signing of 19-time World Champion Anne-Caroline Chausson. Chausson has been the most dominant female mountain biker in history, with an overwhelming 55 World Cup victories. Her talents are also not limited to 26-inch wheels. In 2008, she became the first female athlete to win an Olympic Gold Medal in BMX at Beijing Olympics.
"Between Brian Lopes and now Anne-Caro, we have two of the most experienced, most dominant riders in the history of the sport," says X-Fusion Marketing Manager John Hauer. "It's no secret the X-Fusion brand is on the upswing, and we think the collaboration of both rider's experience will help keep our development momentum rolling. On the racing front, we see that Enduro racing is rapidly growing in popularity and having two athletes that could climb a top a podium on any day is definitely assuring"
Sponsoring the two Ibis athletes (Lopes and Chausson) also cements X-Fusion's close relationship with another local Santa Cruz company, Ibis Cycles. Ibis introduced a line of "Special Blend" Mojo SL bikes this year that exclusively use X-Fusion suspension.
For more information on X-Fusion please visit our website at www.xfusionshox.com. You can learn more about Anne-Caro Chausson and follow her throughout the year on her website, www.annecarochausson.com.


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Well, this is definitely where the rubber meets the road. This is the moment - the dawn of a brand new, fresh, clean, never-before-touched, wide open year. And it's all yours. No dye has been cast; no promises have been made - or broken. Absolutely anything's possible. And it's all yours for the taking, for the creating. So if it were really, really good...what would that look like? I'm not talking a year that's "not all that bad," or one that's "at least better than last year." I mean one that goes down in your history book as great. I know - when you start thinking that boldly, that grandly, a funny thing happens: You hear those voices. "Nothin'that good's going to happen. Not this year.." Or, "They'll never let me." Or, "Hey, I'm good but I'm not that good. I mean, get real."
So what do we do? We let go. We let go of absolutely anything - emotional or physical - that would drag us down, hold us back, make us feel heavy or depressed or just plain inadequate. And I mean anything. And just to be consistent, I'm asking - as I do at the dawn of every year - that you throw out fifty things. More's okay, too. (Remember what Miss Piggy says: "More is more...") And for the record, the objective of this little exercise is not to be voted "most neat and tidy" - it's to befree.Free to be 100% you, not some weak, watered down version.
And the really good news is that the whole process of letting go of the stuff of the past - is anything but exhausting. In fact, it's energizing... Here are a few of my favorite New Year's "Free Yourself Up Throw Out's:"
1. Anything - from a too tight sweater to a too-small view of yourself; from mismatched socks to a mismatched relationship. Seriously, this is the perfect time to let go of those people who remember only the bad times, not the good. You know who they are. Keep your distance...
2. The fear that if you let go of (give away, donate or sell...) the memorabilia you've collected over the decades - your mom's china, your great aunt's oriental rug - you'll lose the memories. You won't. The memories are in your heart, not in the stuff. Let it go. Someone else could use those things right this minute. And wouldn't that be a good thing?
3. The stuff in the medicine cabinet, like your old makeup...from your old look. And what about old meds from your old illnesses. Why are you keeping that stuff around? Are you waiting for the "bad" thing to come back and get you? Get rid of it. You're free of the illness now. Don't invite it back.
4. Assuming the worst. Okay, "they" haven't answered your email, returned your call or looked at you kind of funny. Don't make "not knowing" into "not getting." Assume the best from people, from yourself, from life in general. If you do, you're much more likely to get it. Studies prove this to be true, btw.
5. Negative typecasting - yourself and others. You know: "I'm just not the type to stand up in front of people and speak" I hear that all the time from the people I work with. (But not for long...) Or, "I'm just not the type to stick to a workout routine, a diet, a budget...or my New Year's Resolutions." Who made that up? You did. It wasn't written on your birth certificate, was it? No. And it's just not true. Let it go.
6. Asking that wretched question that seems to have taken over the country: "How bad could it get?" And start asking, "How goodcould I make it?" If you can do just that one thing, you'll have a terrific year. I'm not kidding.
Look we'll have to wait 12 more months for another chance like this: to start over, to reinvent, todecide to be free - free of anything that diminishes us or causes us to play small. Finally and once and for all free of that self-imposed straightjacket we've put on every day.Free. To be you, to be me.
Check out my interview with Michel Martin on NPR, January 4thhttp://www.npr.org/programs/tell-me-more/ it's about how "letting go" can bring freedom...and peace in the New Year.
Gail Blanke's Lifedesigns©2012 All Rights Reserved
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